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Chapter 7: The Silence Broken

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Grissom called her name as he chased her out into the halls of the lab, surprised at her speed, but for once he was glad for the many people that occupied the halls. As she maneuvered her way around the corners and curves, she was slowed by the usual hallway traffic, giving him a chance to catch up to her.

"Sara!" he called out again as he caught her near the empty entrance, managing to grab hold of one of the handle grips of the chair. This proved to be a mistake. While the chair stopped, Sara did not and instead flew forward, sprawling out onto the tile floor.

"God, Sara! Are you okay?" he cried in concern.

She rolled herself onto her back and sat up in her spot. "Well," she managed, "at least we know the brakes work…"

"Sara, I'm so sorry… Let me help you."

When he moved forward, she raised a hand to stop him. "I'm fine," she sniffled, shining streaks still running down her face. "I can do it myself." Determined to prove her independence, she turned herself around, and putting her back to Grissom and her chair, lifted her hands to the seat and pulled herself up, using her good leg as a brace. After she'd finally gotten herself situated, she took a deep breath, and once more began to move to the door.

"Where are you going?" Grissom asked, grabbing the wheelchair's handles once more.

"Home," she said defiantly, tearing herself away.

"Really? How are you going to get there?"

His words stopped her in her tracks. She stayed in that spot for a moment, simply staring at the door in front of her as the reality of everything that had happened once again washed over her, drowning her in sorrow.

He sighed and pushed her into his office, shutting the door behind him. He sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, facing her as she sat helplessly in the dark depths of her memories.

"Sara," he started, but she cut him off.

"What am I still doing here, Grissom?"

Her words caught him off guard. "What?"

"Everything I do ends up hurting someone. Why am I still here?"

"Sara, that's not true," he countered.

"Yes, it is. My first assignment here was to investigate Warrick after the Gribbs girl died. Later, I had to find out what happened to Eddie, and I couldn't even do that for Catherine. I've screwed up so many cases because I can't keep my temper around the suspects… and look what happened in the break room just now. Everyone's mad at Catherine because she listened to me."

"Sara, that is not your fault! She had a choice whether or not to tell them, and she chose to honor your privacy. She was doing what she felt was right."

She shook her head. "They were so angry…"

"They weren't there!" he yelled, making her head snap up in surprise. "They didn't see what Catherine and I saw!" He took a few moments to collect himself, running a trembling hand through his silver hair. "This week has been so hard on everyone, and to hear what happened to you put the icing on the cake… Just give it time, and everything will sort out, okay?"

She nodded, swiping at the trails of wetness on her face.

"Alright… What do you say we get back over there and settle things down a bit, huh?"

When she nodded again, he walked to the door and opened it for her before they headed side-by-side back down the hall to the break room.

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They were surprised to find the room empty but for Catherine sitting with her head down on the break room table.

"Where'd everybody go?" Sara asked, plastering a smile on her face as she went to Catherine's side.

Her answer was muffled. "They left."

Looking to Grissom for support, Sara put an arm around her friend. "It's almost the end of shift. You want a ride home?"

Sighing, Catherine sat up and shook her head. "No, I'm okay. I've got my car here… I just wish there was some way to make them understand."

"I know. So do I."

Grissom came forward. "Why don't you go ahead and go home… I think we're about ready to leave anyways. There's nothing left to do today."

Catherine nodded. "Thanks guys. I've got some straightening up to do in my office, and then I'll go." Standing up, she hugged her friends, and said goodnight.

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That morning proved to be agony for Catherine. When she got home, her mother had taken Lindsey to school and left a note on the table saying that she would be out for the day. Her footsteps seemed to echo in the empty house as she tried to clear her mind of the morning's events.

Food seemed tasteless, and sleeping proved to be impossible. As the hours passed, Warrick's words played like a broken record in her mind… "What the hell is going on, Cath? … Here we are pushing papers and collecting evidence with no idea of what we're looking for! …You could at least have said something!" …

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Grabbing her purse, she got in her car and started driving. She didn't remember much of the drive, but she was glad for where it took her. Hesitating, she worked up the nerve to go up to the door and knock before her courage left her. In the few minutes she had, she practiced what she would say, but when he finally answered, all words left her.

They stood for a few moments in silence, simply staring at one another. After what seemed like an eternity, he sighed and started to close the door.

"No," she pleaded. "Warrick, don't! Please, I-"

"You what?" he said, anger tingeing his voice.

She looked to the ground, tears starting to form. She suddenly felt ashamed, and she was sorry that she'd even come. She turned to leave.

His heart melted a bit at her meekness. Opening the door wider, he called after her.

"Catherine, wait…" When she turned around, he moved out of the doorway, silently inviting her in. He watched as she hesitated, and finally drew a deep breath before accepting the invitation.

Closing the door behind her, he pointed her towards the living room. "Can I get you anything?" When she shook her head, he came and joined her in the living room, sitting in a nearby chair. She had opted for the couch, leaning against the arm for support with her feet tucked under her and to the side. She looked down at her hands and worked up the courage to say what desperately needed to be said. But he beat her to it.

"What are you doing here, Catherine?"

"I came- I came to apologize… I didn't know…" She sighed. "I'm not going to apologize for what I did, because that would be admitting that I did something wrong, and I don't think that I did."

"Cath, you lied to us!" he interrupted, anger and hurt reflecting in his eyes.

"No, I didn't," she corrected him. "I told you the God's honest truth, that Sara wanted to remain anonymous, and the last thing she wanted was for the people she cared about to be worried and take their focus off the case. That meant you and Nick. I respected her wishes and I kept my promise."

An awkward silence filled the room as they stared at one another. Their eyes locked and held, reading what was plainly written there. In each, there was the desire to be angry with the other but it wouldn't hold with so many other emotions mixing in.

Breaking the silence, Catherine sighed and looked down momentarily. Taking this as her only opportunity, she found his eyes again and said, "I will, however, apologize for what that promise did to you. I didn't mean for it to hurt you."

Warrick got up from his spot in the chair and joined her on the couch in a gesture of forgiveness, making her shift in her seat. When she saw the anger fade from his features and found only sympathy and love there, her shaky wall of strength finally crumbled. She found safety in his arms as she collapsed into him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, as the silent tears fell.

"Shhh…" He stroked her hair in an attempt to comfort and support her.

"You can't imagine what it was like… to see her an inch from death, and then her embarrassment when we saw her at her worst…"

He sat her up and lifted her chin to look into her watery eyes. Giving a small smile, he silently began to kiss her tears away. Her eyes fluttered closed at his touch, filling her with a warmth that she hadn't felt in a long time. When he came to her lips, she could hold back no longer. What began as a soft round of comfort turned into a caressing kiss of love and longing.

A moment later, he stood and pulled her up to join him. Holding her in his arms, he cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb over her soft skin. He then took her by the hand and led her through the house to the bedroom.

"What about-?"

"We had a fight," he answered, anticipating her question. "She left this morning." Giving her a reassuring smile, he closed the door.

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A/N: I'm sorry that took as long to update as it did, but I finally got this chapter up. I hope I didn't leave the characters too out of place... I had some major Cath/Warrick cravings this past week and I had to find a way to pull them back together without completely ruining their characters.

Lord Jimi: Thank you so much for reading... I know that must've been an awkward conversation after everything that had happened, but I was grateful. Thanx for being such an awesome friend. As I've said before, youre like a brother, and it means so much that you enjoyed the story. As for ending it, well, trust me: it's not over yet. I hope this chapter brings enough magic to hold you over for at least a little while. :-)

PLEASE REVIEW!

Teaser: A smile on her lips, Sara moaned and stretched as she awoke, twisting the covers even more than they already were. But suddenly, something seemed out of place. She was cold.

She turned to see that she was alone. In his place on the pillow was a short handwritten note. Afraid at what it might say, she reached over with a trembling hand, and began to read. ...